The use of advanced composites, defined herein as highly aligned reinforcements of carbon, glass, or aramid fibers in a suitable polymer matrix of either thermoset or thermoplastic resins, is the focus of this invention. The specific intent to use aligned reinforcement is based on the following perception: The modulus of steel is 30,000,000 lbs/in2, whereas the modulus of aluminum is 10,000,000 lbs/in2. The modulus of a typical, higher quality glass epoxy prepreg is around 4,000,000 lbs/in2. While material stiffness can be compensated to some degree via the shaping of the components to enhance structural stability, randomly reinforced composite materials currently being used by the automotive industry have even less stiffness and therefore do not offer the potential for dramatic improvements in structural performance.
For composites to be exploited in the design of an automobile, their unique characteristics must be incorporated into both the design and the production scenario of the vehicle in a way that allows their inherent advantages to be realized.